Air-controlling device for internal-combustion engines.



W'. F. HOPEH. AIR CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION JLED JAN. 22. L915- 1 Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

f'o all'whomz'tmay concern:

WALTER r. ROPER, or HOPEDALE, msssscnusnrrs.

am-conrnottmo DEVICE non Inrnnnan-connusrion Exams.

l 3e it knou'n that I, WVA'LTER F. Rornn, acltizen of the United States, residing at Ho'pcdale, county of Worcester, and State of .Massachusetts, have invented an Improve- ,mentin- Air-Controlling Devices for Interrial-Combustion Engines', of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, isa specification,"- 10.

' parts.

like letters on the drawings representing like The intention to be hereinafter described relates to internal. combustion engines .or' motors, and more partioularlyto the mea'nsforcontrolli-i'ig the character of. the mixture or the proportion of air andfuel comprising the mixture.

As well known by those skilled in the art,*

a'mixture of air and fuel is supplied to an internalcombustion engine or motor through an intake, and the volume of such supply is regulated by'fla throttle, While the charactor of the mixture or the relative proportion of air and fuel is ordinarily controlled by .fixed adjustments at the, carburetor. While the fixed character of 'the'mixture as determined by -the carburetor may be well adapted for certain conditions, it becomes} unsuitable forother conditions, and at times results in] unnecessary waste-of fuel. .Attempts have heretofore been made to overcome the objections noted and ECO n0? mize fuel consumption by theintroduotion at times ,of an extra air supply, bllt such attempts have not satisfactorily responded to the requirements because either the extra air supply" had to be regulatedjby hand or, if automatic means-were provided difliculty has been experienced either in starting or idling,

or if these have been overcome, then at high speeds with the throttle Wide open and corn sequent low vacuum, the extra air supply has been entirely shut ofi.

' Ql'Vith these 'gcnerally stated facts in vievv,

the aims and purposes of the present inventi oxi are to provide an automatically-acting [valve device which willeffectually operate i-,toshut. off the extra air supply when the engine is being started, and yvhile it is running idle, and permit a desired supply of "extra air or shut it off at times under the domands of thevacuum produced. This charact'eristic of the invention and other;in'1po r-v tant features .thereof u-ill best be made clealr from the following 'desoription and w inner seat; Fi .Q the-air valve against its outer seat; Fig. 4; .is a similar section showing the .air valve -the'v.a :uu1n and throttle opening.

" Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N ,.'21, 1916.

Application filed January 22 1915. Serial'iio. 8,812.-

carrying the invention into practical efiect, t being understood that th'e'invention is not restr cted to the described andillustrated deta ls, but is definitely s'et'forth in'its true scope by the claims.

panying drawings of one form of means'tor.

-In the drawings :Figure 1 is a diagram .matic vie'w showing an-internal combustion engine or anyusual type, its connected carbureter and intake pipe 'with the' present invention applied; Fig. 2 is an enlargedjsec- ,tional view ofa valve device on the line.

2-2, Big. 1. conta ning the present inven-.'

tion, the air valve beiflg shown against its 3 is a section similar to that the parts omitted, showing with in intermediate position;- Fig. 5 is a crosssection on the line 5-}5, Fig. 2.; Fig. dis a diagram- 'shou-'ing the relation of throttle openings and dbl-responding cylinder vacuum. In order that the inventionand its operation may. ,bejmore clearly understood, it is desirable'to bear in mind thatth'e amount of vacuum in theoylinder' orcylinders with the engine'running, is dependent on the amount of throttle o'pemng and engine. loador speed. lvlanifestly, when the engine is not running and at'the time of starting,

there is no yacuuin, but-assoon'as the'engine has started, a vacuum is. produced and. rapidly reaches a maximum when the engine is running idle'with the throttle prac- .tically closed. As the throttle is gradually opened more and more, the 'vacuum" drops untiL- u'hen the-throttle 1s wide open and the en ine runnin at hi h s eed it'- C! b I? reaches a minimum. The diagram Fig. 6 is intended to illustratethc relation between In this figure, the vertical line (11 is supposed to represent the amount of vacuum: in pounds from-O 'to 11, and the horizontal line (&-6 to represent the proportional degree of throttle opening. With the throttle posi- I .tioned at d for starting, the vacuum pro 'duced under the starting action isbetween 2 and 3 .pounds.- As soon as the engine has started, however, and the throttle'is practicallyclo'sed, as at a, so that the engine once jumps to about 10% pounds. 'Now,' as

the load is placed upon the engine, 'vvhich the case of an automobilewould be in will run idly and slowly, this vacuum -at under theinflu'enceof a spring 27, which preferably surrounds the end portion of the spindle 16 as indi :ated in. Fig. 2. The

plunger 01" valve controller is providecl with an end portion 28 which, when the 'alun er or valve-controller 25 is held 11 Jon ,;throughout the entire length of the valve 30 the shouldered portion 26 of the proj ection by the spring 27, projects beyond the face of the outer seat for the air controlling valve, .tit'v of air to flow into the intake pipe- 11-; substantially as indicated in Fig.- 2.

' In order that the plunger 25 or the-auxiliary valve controller, may be a-ppro'pria-tel held upon itsseat by the desired tension of the spring 27, the end of the projection 23 ispreferabIy provided"with an adjusting sleeve Fig.- '2. which may. be screw- .thre'ad'ed to the interior portion of the pro-.

:jGtiOIl and be provided with a finger piece 30. A look not 81 may serve to hold the threaded sleeve 29 in adjusted position. The

spindle .16 may be appropriately extended controlling device,'as'indicated in Fig.2, but thisstructure' may-be changed, if desired.- i I- The tension of the spring 21 which-acts upon the air controlling valve 11, may be adjusted, as by the means hereinbefore' described, and likewise, may the tension of. the spring 27 which bears-"upon and holds theplunger or auxiliaryvalve controller 25 on its seat. In their operative relation, the sprmgs'Ql and fllare sqadpisted that when there is no vacuum formed in the casing 6,

the spring 21 will force the air controlling valve 11 against the 'plunger'or the auxiliary valve controller '25, and force it back against the tension of ts spring- 27 until such air" controlling-valve 11 finds 'its'outer seat and effectually closes the inletlopenings 15', as

represented in Fig. 3. Thisis substantially the condition of the air controlling device when't-he engine withi'vliich it isfassociated,j is being started. either byliand .or b va se fstarter, so that at this time. when a rich mlxture is desired, no extra aijr s'permitted to pass to theintalve pipe through the. air

controlling device above-described. lVhen,

however, the engine has been started. and

the throttle has been practically closed, the

vacuum in the cylinders and intake, as hereinbefore expla ned, reachests maximum of approximately 101; pounds. whereupon the spring 21 yields under the air pressure against the air controllingvalve 11 and permits that valve'to rest 'upon its inner seat, as indicated-in Fig. 2.

'As thethrottle is gradually opened, the

during the idle running of th-e engine, and

mediate position between its inner and outer vacuum in the cylinders and intake pipe gradually drops as heretofore explained, whereupon the air controlling valve 11 moves from its inner/seat where it rested assumes a position intermediate the inner of the spring27, will cause the air controlling valve l-lto still occupy some inter-' seats, and thereby permit a desired quan-' Sliould a load heplaced upon the enginevvhile the throttle is wide open, as would happen in the case of an automobile-ascending'a steep grade, the engine will slow down with a consequent drop of the vacuum to about}; pounds, as.represented-by the dotted lines in Fig. (i. whereupon the spring- 2l is enabled to overcomethe tension of the spring 27, plus thelow vacuum, and seat the controlling valve against its outer seat to thereby exclude the entrance of extra air, and consequently give to the -engine a relatively rich mixture direct from the carhureter, a condition that. is desirable when the engine load has been increased, as de scribed.

From the construction and operation-of the. ,air controlling device, as hereinbefore described, -1n connect oif with one form or embodimentthereof. it will be noted that .when the engine is to be started, either by hand or by a self-starter, at which time a relatively rich mixture is desired, no extra air is'permitted' to enter the intake pipe.

" Likewise, when the engine is idling. that is,

running slowly withthe throttle practically clos'edand the-car, in. the case of 'an'autoniohile, stationary, the high vacuum pro duced changes theposition'of the valve from its outer to its inner seat. and'again closes the supply of extra air. As the' throttle is-gracluallv opened. thevacuum 'gradua'llv drops. as hereinhefore pointedu out..anc l the spring 21 is, enabled, there fore, togradually move from its inner toward its outer seat, until. when the throttie is fully open. it rests'u'pon the plunger 0' auxiliary valve controller, with the engine and car running at full speed: but

when a load is placed upon the engine and it consequently slows-down with the throttle still wide open. the decrease or drop of the vacuum in the casing 6 permits the sprintrfilj to overcome the tension of the spring 27. plus the decreasedvacuum. and again the original rich mixture from the carhurctcl" is supplied to. the

- seats by the hub sliding upon the spin.-

its outer seat and die 16. 'When the device is adjusted, the spring 21'is'of greater active strength than the spring 27, so that with the absence of, or a minimum vacuum in the vacuum chem her, the spring 21 may seat the valve upon exclude the entrance of extra air. v

Various changes in the general'form and construction of the parts maysuggestthemselves to those skilled in the art, and the in I vention is therefore not restricted to the combination of the single valve between said seats operating spring ada ,outer seat and the outer seat when there is chamber.

particular details, shown and though those illustrated by have been found to embody a. adjustable and troller.-

Claims. 1; In an internal described, althe drawing good, readily ractical "auxiliary air concombustion engine, the cylinders and' Intakepipe, a casing having a vacuumcha'mber in communication with the intake pipe,in'ner. .andouter valve seats independent in relation to each other having air passages, a

withoutrelation to the chamber walls, a pted to seat the valve against the close'the air passage thereof when there is a minimum vacuum in the said chamber and pern1itting-the,valve to rest againstthe inner seat when a maximum vacuum ,exists in said chamber,: and means acting upon the valve to hold it from a vacuum between maximum and minimum in said 2.111 an internal combustion engine, the combination of the cylinders and intake pipe, a casing having a vacuum chamber in communication with said intake pipe, an inner valve seat having air passages, an outer valve seat having inletsforthe admission of airto said chamber, a valve movablebetween the inner and'outer valve seats, a spring acting on the valve in onedirection' to force the valve against the outerseat when-the engine is at ,rest and also whena minimum vacuum exists in saidchamber' during the slow operation of the engine and permitting the valve to rest against the inner seat and close the air passages thereof when a maximunr vacuum in said chamber, and an auxiliary spring-actuated 'hold it from its outer seat-when the vacuum -1ng an air inlet-passage,

valve chamber K to valve movable in the (chamber, a spring act device operated to act upon '.the valve to 18.1'18ti1 but above the minimum.

combustion engines, comprising a casing having a chamber, an inner valve seat adjacent one end of said chamber and having an air passage, an outer. valve seat having an all inlet, a valve between said seats, a spring for forcing the valve toward its outer seat, and an auxiliary spring for modiair controlling device for internal tying the action of said first-named spring" when the valve is moved toward its outer seat."

4:.- An air controlling device for combustion engines, comprising a casin having a chamber, an outer valve seat havan inner valve seat within the casing having an air passage, a valve movable between said outer and inner valve seats, a spring for moving the valve toward one of said seats, a' spring plunger extending beyond one of said valve internal.

seats and adapted-to modify the action ofthe first-named spring on said valve.

5. An 'air controlling device for internal combustion engines, inner and outer valve seat in said casing valve movablexin said valve chamber, said valve seats having-air passages, moving the valve toward the outer valve seat .toclose the plungerhav-ing a a spring for" comprlsing a casing, an

forming a valve chamber between them, a

air passages thereof, apart extending into the valve chamber adapted to be engaged by the valve as it moves toward the outer valv'e seat to modify the action. of the, first named spring. v 1

6. An air controlling device for internal combustion engines, comprising a casing, an outer valve seat having an air. inlet, and an inner valve seat dividing-' the interior of thecasing into a vacuum chamber and a valve chamber and having an air passage leading from the valve'chamber. to the vacuum chamber, a valve movable in .the valve chamber between the inner and 'outer valve seats, aspring forforcingthe valve against the outer valve seat, a plunger projecting into the valve chamber, and a spring acting upon said plunger to decrease the action of the first-named spring as the Valve 4 approaches theouter valve seat.

7. Anair controlling device-for internal combustion engines, comprising. a casing, an outer valve seat having an air-Inlet, an inner valveseatdividing the interior of the-casing into avacuum 'chaimberand a valve chamber and having an air passage leading from the the vacuum, chamber, a valvechamber between the inner and outer valve seats, a spring for :Eorcingthe valve seat, a plunger projecting. into;- the valve ing upon said plunger against the outer vaive to decrease the-action of the first-named 1 spring asth'e valve approaches the outervalve seat,: and mains for adjusting the ten.- sibn of each of said springs. I

8. An ail-controlling rleviceyfor internal cqmbustionengines, comprising a casing, an outenvalve seat having an air Inlet; an inner 'valve seat dividing the interior. of the casing int0 EL v'acli um pha'm'ber. and a yelve chem-- 1 her. and having an air passage leading from the valve chamber to the vacuum chamber,

a velve'mqvablein' the'valve chamber bBr'. tween the ,mner and outer valve seats, a

spring for. forcing the vel e against file cute: valve seat, e plunger projecting inte the valve chamber, and signing of less strength than the first-na-mzadi spring and acting upon said. plunger.

In testimony whereoL-I have signed. my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER F; RO'PEIR.

"Witnesses W1L O. P RKINS, E: MURRAY. 

